Monitor 5 peerless tweeter shot?

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Picked up M5s for $50 but one of the tweeters cuts in and out. It seems to work longer when quiet and stop as I increase the volume. Nothing wrong with it physically, wires are good etc

Is the tweeter shot or can it be the crossover or something else?

I'm planning to test by swapping it with the working 2nd speaker, but thought I'd check here first.

Comments

  • Gardenstater
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    Your speakers probably have polyswitches on the PCB, a kind of a solid state fuse protection. When they have been tripped enough times they malfunction.
    George / NJ

    Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
    Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
    Onkyo A-8017 integrated
    Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
    iFi nano iDSD DAC
    iPurifier3
    iDefender w/ iPower PS
    Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
    iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
    Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
    Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,880
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    YYCPolk wrote: »
    Picked up M5s for $50 but one of the tweeters cuts in and out. It seems to work longer when quiet and stop as I increase the volume. Nothing wrong with it physically, wires are good etc

    Is the tweeter shot or can it be the crossover or something else?

    I'm planning to test by swapping it with the working 2nd speaker, but thought I'd check here first.

    Your polyswitch (thermal reset device) is tripping too early because it's been tripped too many times. If you're using quality power consider replacing them with a 0.5 ohm Vishay Mills 10 or 12 watt resistor. If you're using a receiver or low powered amp replace with new polyswitches. There's one on each crossover.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,343
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    A poly switch would be a good answer.

    I probably have not seen all combinations but I have only seen Model 5, Monitor 5 (5A) with Peerless with fuses and none with poly switches. I thought the poly switch was introduced with the 5B that had the SL-2000 fish eye.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,497
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    If so & he swaps & cleans contacts by fuse - then tests - he should know... Awhile back I had the early 5's with peerless tweets & hooked it to Sansui 20w & wow did those speakers sounded "wicked good". Nice speakers
    ..
    ..
    ..
    Randy/Maine
  • xschop
    xschop Posts: 4,745
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    skrol wrote: »
    A poly switch would be a good answer.

    I probably have not seen all combinations but I have only seen Model 5, Monitor 5 (5A) with Peerless with fuses and none with poly switches. I thought the poly switch was introduced with the 5B that had the SL-2000 fish eye.

    For 5Bs, the best practice is to remove the polyswitch and hope the SL2K gets fragged.
    Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
  • YYCPolk
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    Thanks for the advise. I'm going to try and take a look in the next couple days. I will report back.
  • YYCPolk
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    And when you guys say the fuse, is it the one in the back outside of the box or can there be one inside on the crossover?

    As for power, I could run them on a Technics SU-V76, 100WPC, Yamaha CA1010, 100WPC or Panasonic SAHE-200, also 100WPC. I think all these specs are at 8 ohm, so with M5s being 6ohm, they'd be little higher. Except the technics as it doesn't support 6ohm. So would new polyswitches be the best way to go?

    If so, where do I buy them?

  • Gardenstater
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    YYCPolk wrote: »
    And when you guys say the fuse, is it the one in the back outside of the box or can there be one inside on the crossover?

    So you have a glass fuse on the binding post/XO plate on the back of your speakers? If so, then I don't think you would ALSO have polyswitches on the PCB. At least that would be the first time I've heard of Polk doing that if you do.

    George / NJ

    Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
    Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
    Onkyo A-8017 integrated
    Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
    iFi nano iDSD DAC
    iPurifier3
    iDefender w/ iPower PS
    Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
    iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
    Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
    Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
  • YYCPolk
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    Took some pics.

    640umakq34bd.jpg
    tm5blr2tfwz5.jpg
  • Gardenstater
    Gardenstater Posts: 4,209
    edited February 2022
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    Well you have early ones that definitely don't have polyswitches, just a fuse. You need to clean the fuse and fuseblock contacts as per boston1450 suggestion. If you have another 1 Amp fast blo fuse you might try a different fuse to rule out that it is an intermittent contact in the fuse. Also, that inductor looks like it got hot and perhaps the 6.2 Ohm resistor as well.
    George / NJ

    Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
    Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
    Onkyo A-8017 integrated
    Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
    iFi nano iDSD DAC
    iPurifier3
    iDefender w/ iPower PS
    Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
    iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
    Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
    Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
  • YYCPolk
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    Fingers crossed, if that's all it takes then I'm golden.

    I take it these are ripe for re-capping?
  • xschop
    xschop Posts: 4,745
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    YYCPolk wrote: »
    Fingers crossed, if that's all it takes then I'm golden.

    I take it these are ripe for re-capping?

    Not only ripe, but they've crossed the rubicon into rotten.
    Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
  • YYCPolk
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    That bad, huh? And tweeter aside they sound so damn good. Can't wait to hear them after re-cap.
  • xschop
    xschop Posts: 4,745
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    Dump the cast resistors while you're in there.
    Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,652
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    George the inductor has black tape wrapped around it, is that what you're seeing?
  • Gardenstater
    Gardenstater Posts: 4,209
    edited February 2022
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    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    George the inductor has black tape wrapped around it, is that what you're seeing?

    Nah I know it's black tape Ivan. It is just a long shot but when I zoom in I see that towards the bottom left edge of the inductor the hot melt is very yellow looking and elsewhere (even on the rest of the trace) it is very dark brown looking.

    That's all I'm seeing and maybe there is another explanation entirely. Just going for *possibles*.

    What I see on the resistor is even more of a long shot and could just be burnt flux that bubbled through to the component side of PCB.

    PS - I'm getting sick of looking at my long signature as I'm sure everyone else is. Why can't Vanilla allow it to be small font like it used to be?
    George / NJ

    Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
    Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
    Onkyo A-8017 integrated
    Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
    iFi nano iDSD DAC
    iPurifier3
    iDefender w/ iPower PS
    Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
    iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
    Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
    Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,497
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    I haven't seen any signature for years now. Must be off on my settings ☺️
    ..
    ..
    ..
    Randy/Maine
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,880
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    I turned the sigs off a while back because I was sick of the novels people write.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • YYCPolk
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    Update. Opened them up.

    Seems that the tweeter was replaced. Those solder joints don't look as clean as the original. Could that be an issue? Cleaning the fuse housing nor swapping the fuses did not help.

    This is the bad tweet

    5jz2wdawph3n.jpg
    4okj1pybfw41.jpg
    v4yq6q0xsjji.jpg

    And the good one

    kee35u6t8y70.jpg
    7ostuptchxnj.jpg
    cjtl2y4oz4mp.jpg



  • YYCPolk
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    I guees one way to find out. Re-solder it. I'm gonna try it and see.
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,652
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    If it was me I would remove ALL that old solder as it looks bad. I'd also clean up the copper and bend the wire so it was ALL on that copper pad. I do not know if it's the picture or what but the solder on some looks black, it should be shiny or dull not black.
    Then clean up using 91% alcohol when done to remove the flux. They prior person could have used the wrong solder. Not all solder is good for electronics.
  • YYCPolk
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    Good point pitdogg. It is silver, but I'm gonna clean it all out and redo it just to eliminate that part.
  • YYCPolk
    YYCPolk Posts: 18
    edited February 2022
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    Found this interesting. In the working speaker, the red wire from the spool, the black wire from the tweeter and one of the capacitors are all connected. Solder connects all 3. See the screwdriver end, there is a small connection. That's where the capacitor is.

    qklyv4tszdhq.jpg
    dqg9kb1l3ihd.jpg

    On the non working one the connection between the black tweet wire and the red one seems to not be there. See where the screwdriver points.

    y1twibz6jbor.jpg

    Is that a problem?



  • YYCPolk
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    And the black solder is actually silver, my phone is doing tricks.
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,652
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    No it shouldn't that whole copper pad connects all 3. If you removed all the solder you would see one big copper pad.
  • YYCPolk
    YYCPolk Posts: 18
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    So after cleaning, resoldering etc it ended up being the tweeter itself. I was able to source replacement peerless tweets so I swapped the one on question and all is good now.
    Thanks for all the help.